The pastor of St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Farmingdale was awakened Christmas night to the sound of police breaking down his front door, after his house caught on fire from a hot fireplace coal.

Rev. Rodney Eberhardt and his wife escaped the blaze unscathed, after the arrival of emergency personnel alerted them to danger. The Farmingdale Fire department quickly responded, after they received a call from a motorist who noticed smoke coming from the house in the early morning hours of Dec. 26.

The Farmingdale Fire Department managed to salvage the house through quick response, although the home sustained much water and smoke damage.

"A hot coal got out of the fireplace and into the wall of the house, and set the house on fire," Rev. Eberhardt said, noting that he believes the coal got may have gotten into the wall through a hole in the chimney.

The Eberhardts' Christmas presents, which had been lying near the fireplace, just opened, were destroyed by smoke and water.

"We had spent the afternoon sitting around the fire in the living room, opening Christmas presents," the pastor described. "And they were all just sitting around on the floor here and there, because we hadn't gotten a chance to put them away yet. So most of them were ruined."

About 75 firefighters worked for 15 minutes to extinguish the flames, which were located in the crawl space between the first floor and the basement, according to Farmingdale Fire Department officials. There were no injuries.

Due to the damages to the house, the Eberhardts will not be able to stay in their residence until repairs are completed, the pastor noted. The home will need work to the chimney, as well as major structural repairs, because the firefighters had to tear down walls to reach the fire. The house, which is situated on Conklin Street adjacent to St. Luke's Church, and is owned by the church, was built in 1906.

Rev. Eberhardt has suffered much material loss, but is quite grateful for the help that has been given to him and his wife through the ordeal.

He credited the firefighters and police for their speedy response, and for saving his home. "I cannot praise the Farmingdale Fire Department more. They did everything they could to do as little damage to the house as possible. They were very prompt in their response to the fire. And, they saved our home," he said. "They are to be highly commended for their work, and their diligence. And the same with both the Suffolk and Nassau County Police Departments. They were both very prompt in their responses as well." The East Farmingdale Fire Department was also on scene for aid assistance.

While Rev. Eberhardt thanked the emergency personnel for rescuing his home, feels he owes his life to Kris Bergmann, the motorist who called the fire department.

"Her parents are residents of Farmingdale; she lives in the city. She drove by with someone else, and saw smoke coming out of the house and turned around and came back to check, and used her cell phone to dial 911," Rev. Eberhardt noted. If she hadn't noticed the smoke, he said, "We probably wouldn't be here."